Getting By
by 00Savannah00Sierra00
Summary: Just when Kim and Daniel are finally getting comfortable in a relationship, a tragedy strikes in Kim's family which tests their bond. They may be good at being boyfriend and girlfriend, but can they really be there for each other as friends?


"Hey Desario!" Kim shouts from the across hall. Daniel turns from his conversation with Ken to greet her with a grin. He wraps his arm around her waist and kisses her cheek.

"Speak of the devil," Ken mutters. "Hey, shut up," responds a defensive Daniel while Kim confusingly looks at him.

"I can stand up for myself ya know," Kim says. Daniel smiles.

"Well, I just can't resist," he says while muffling a kiss into her hair. Ken, with a disgusted expression on his face, continued down the hall.

Kim smirks. "I can tell, what's up with you?"

"What?" he responds innocently.

"The fact that you're all over me right now?" she replies.

"Oh come on! You have a problem with this?" he grins while raising his eyebrows. Kim rolls her eyes impatiently.

"Can you just act normal?" she irritably asks. He giggles, and begins kissing her cheek.

"Do you have a problem with this?" he laughs through pushing his lips repeatedly onto her face.

"Stop! Daniel, seriously!" she demands, trying to push away the smile forming on her face.

Lindsay approaches them slowly, attempting not to interrupt the two. She awkwardly stands there, waiting for their kisses and laughter to fade. Kim looks at her.

"Hey Lindsay. You have my geometry notes?"

"Uh huh," she exclaims while searching through her pockets. Daniel lets go of Kim to allow her to take the bundle of note cards, but immediately continues to hold her again after.

"Thanks," she says. "It's not a big deal," Lindsay answers while pushing her hair back behind her ears.

"So Daniel, you seem happy," she observes. "Yeah, what is it?" Kim adds.

"Well," Daniel begins with excitement. "Remember that test I took last week, the math one? I got it back in first period and…" he trails off while digging in his pocket. He pulls out a crumpled test paper and unravels it to unveil an 85.

"How'd you cheat this time?" Kim asks. "Nope, I didn't cheat. I studied for it," he brags while shoving it back into his jacket. Lindsay smiles with bafflement.

"Daniel that's great! I knew if you focused you could do it," she exclaims.

"Yeah, well the best part is, this brings my failing grade to a D+," he says.

"Ohhhhh, that explains it," Kim says. Daniel looks confused.

"Now you can cut without getting left back," she figures.

"Ding ding ding," Daniel chimes with a smile. "How 'bout we celebrate 6 and 7th period?" he suggests.

Kim is questioning. "What are we gonna do, 'cause I don't wanna drive around the whole time Daniel," she nags.

"Trust me," Daniel replies softly. He pulls her closer.

"I'll make it worth your while," he says flirtatiously. He kisses her and Lindsay awkwardly stammers goodbyes while walking off. She pulls away with a grin.

"I gotta go or Williams's will kill me but I'll meet you under the stairs at 6th," she says while straightening her jacket from his grip.

"Bye Blondie," he calls while watching her walk to class.

/* Lunch

Lindsay sits down at the lunch table with Nick and Ken. They exchange "heys" and pick at their trays.

"Have you guys noticed how happy Kim and Daniel are?" she wonders.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Nick replies. "Although Science they were passing notes."

"Passing notes?" Ken cringes. "What are they, 11?" Nick chuckles.

"You should've seen them this morning, they were kissing and laughing and completely forgot I was even there," she states.

"Why are you so hung up about it?" Ken asks.

"I'm not, it's…It's just I've never seen them this, I guess, in love before," she replies. Ken smirks.

"Are you kidding me?! Daniel is not in love. He's never loved her. He just thinks she's hot and she puts up with him," he retorts.

"Ken, I don't know, man," Nick says. "He told me he missed her in 4th. They had just seen each other the class before that. I'm not saying he's in love or anything, but his life is kinda revolved around her."

Ken rolls his eyes.

"What the hell is he getting himself into," he mutters into his tray.

` /*6th Period

Kim stares impatiently at the door waiting for her excuse to leave. She sighs and taps her pencil.

"Take out your workbooks and we will review last night's homework," says Mr. Chowkevski. She reluctantly pulls out her book and opens to her blank paged assignment. He begins his lecture on the importance of work and college. Meanwhile, Kim was beginning to think he wouldn't call her down for an "appointment" or a "phone call."

But just as she's about to get up to his desk and lie through her teeth, Stroker comes through the door with a note. Kim cheers inside and walks up to receive the phony excuse, something about her mom, and leaves the classroom smiling. She walks down the stairs till she meets Daniel underneath the staircase. He's leaning against the wall.

"I thought I'd be here forever," he smiles and gestures through his pockets. She smirked and they began walking to the back exit.

"We better not be sitting in a parking lot this whole time, you got it?" she demands.

"Relax," he replies while wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"So how'd you get out of Chowkevski's class? That guy's tough," he says. A look of confusion spreads across Kim's face as she stops walking.

"What are you talking about?" she asks seriously as she removed his arm from her.

"You don't have to look all freaked out, I'm just asking how you get outta class," he defended. Worry engulfs her though anger pushes through.

"You called me down with an emergency phone call about my mother!" she exclaims with anger as she brakes away from him. He shakes his head.

Her anger forms to dread in the pit of her stomach.

"God Daniel!" she shouts while shoving him and pacing to the office.

"Hey, what the hell did I do?!" he responds, following her down the hall.

"Just wait for me out here," she says while entering the office.

A large teacher she's never seen before with short brown hair spots her.

"Are you Miss Kelly?" she asks urgently.

"Yeah. What's going on?" she says. "It took you long enough," she mutters while she grabs her arm and drags her into the guidance office. Kim gears away from the unknown woman as much as she can but it doesn't really help.

. They enter the small office. The pale woman points to the chair and she sits down.

In enters Mr. Rosso.

"What's going on?!" she immediately worries.

"Well, I'm going to go," states the big woman.

Kim wanted to mumble, "And get the lipstick off your fucking teeth" but her mind was forming scenarios that couldn't be interrupted.

"Kim, I'm afraid to say, your mother has been hit by a car."

It wasn't such a big deal to her. It's not like she really loved her mother. Well, if she died a guess she would be upset because she would have to live with her douchebag boyfriend, but an injury was just another excuse for her to do all the house work.

But even though she felt this way, she still couldn't help feel the gloominess in the air. And though it wasn't a gash to her heart, it still did sprinter.

"It's critical. You are welcomed to go to the hospital now if you'd like," he continues. Kim frowns and sighs, knowing that she's going to have to take serious shit from her stepfather while Mr. Rosso rambles about details.

"Thanks, I'll be leaving now," Kim states while getting up from her seat.

"Kim," he stops her. "If you need anything, you can come to my office," he explains with a smile. By the way she walks out the door; Mr. Rosso knows she won't be stopping by.

Daniel greets her as she exits.

"What happened?" he asks concerned. Kim solemnly continues towards the back door.

"She got hit by a car. I mean, how stupid is she? She couldn't look at the road?!" she exclaims in bafflement. A silence falls over them as they reach the parking lot to his car.

"Are you okay?" he asks, but she responds with a quick yes, clearly having no interest in talking about it. He sighs.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Where ever you planned."

He pulls out of the parking lot and Kim stares out the window, trying to refrain herself back to her happier state, but proving unsuccessful.

He looked over at her with sympathy and put her hand in his and continued looking down the road.

They drove for a good fifteen minutes without any questions from Kim, until they passed the Weirs house.

"Stop the car," she said. He looked at her and the house.

"Blondie, ya know Lindsay's still in school," he replied.

"I said stop the car Daniel!" she yelled harshly. They came to a halt.

"Ya happy now?!" he asks as she rolls her eyes at him and gets out. He watches her approach the house and cannot believe how quickly the day was ruined.

"Hello Ms. Weir."

"Oh, hello Kim, why aren't you at school?" she asks surprisingly answers the door. Kim pushes past her into their kitchen.

"There was an emergency at home. Where's your phone?" she asks while looking around their house.

"By the refrigerator," states a baffled Ms. Weir. Kim dials her home phone.

"Hello?" her brother says tiredly.

"Where's Jeff?" she asked. "With ma in the hospital."

"Why aren't you there?" she demands. "I should be asking you the same thing," he replies.

"Well, is mom like, like is she gonna die?" she asks reluctantly. Silence fills their conversation.

He finally muffles an, "I don't know," and she hangs up and leaves without a word.

"Take me home," she demands as she gets back into his car. "Fine," he mumbles.

"Look, Kim, I know you're hurting because of your mom and all but you don't have to be so..."

She glares at him. "Don't you dare call me a bitch Daniel," she threatens.

"I wasn't gonna!" he exclaims with frustration. She raises her eyebrows with disbelief.

"Yeah I bet! You were gonna say offensive or impolite, right? Oh wait, never mind, you're too stupid to know those words!" she shouts.

"See, now you're being an asshole!" he yells at her. "Well I'm not being a jackass like you!" she hollers in his face. He looks at her with anger. "Kim, I'm just tryin' to talk to you about your mom, okay?!" he exclaims.

"Why the hell would I want to talk about it Daniel?!" she yells.

"Because," he begins to shout but lowers his voice. In a calmer tone he continues.

"If my mom…died…well she's my mom and, and I'd want her back, ya know?" he explains. Kim looks at him, and then looks down at her feet. The death realization was still sinking in. Her throat swells and she feels her face get red but she forces herself to calms down.

"Daniel, just…I don't want to talk about it anymore," she says as tears threaten to push through. He nods and puts the key in the ignition and they continue down the road. She pushes her tears back and feels in her pocket, the crumbled note between her fingers.


End file.
